We're going on our first Alaskan cruise on May 15, 2004. What is the appropriate apparel to wear during the day on the ship? Do I really need to take a warm jacket (down)? Any help would be appreciated.
Patty

Hi Patty,
No, you shouldn't need that warm a jacket while onboard the ship. You may need something warm for doing excursions, especially to the glaciers. Just pack plenty of sweatshirts and t-shirts and layer your clothes.

Yes you will need to take a lined jacket of some sort, as well as layers of clothing. Rain gear, knit hat gloves, 2 pair of walking shoes. Don't be one of the many unprepared cruisers sailing Alaska. Not having the proper attire will greatly infringe on your comfort if you plan on being out on deck. If, not then it won't matter.

Hi Patty,
I have been to Alaska a few times, our last trip was in May of 2002 on the Mercury from San Diego to Alaska. It was wonderful! Much rainer and colder than mid summer. Gloves and umbrella are a must What ship are you sailing? Emma

I was told to skip the umbrella, as it is a pain to hols all th etime, they suggested a rain jacket with a hood. Put the hood up and don't worry.... I went to WalMart sporting goods and got ours.
We are Diamond Princess 5/22 from Seattle

I'm on the Zaandam out of Vancouver on the 22nd also so will wave when our ships are in port together and I also suggest the rain jacket with a hood - I recommend it everytime anyone asks. I have 3 now and they are so handy - don't miss the umbrella at all...Good advice here don't u agree? Have a happy cruise!!!

I was just reading your comment about the May weather. We are travelling on NCL Star on May 30. Did you have any clear days???? How cold was it? I'm getting nervous now .. haha. I've already planned the rainy gear and layering.

I'm not Emma but hope I can help. Have been to Alaska many times over the last 20yrs. - go by myself mostly but love the cruising - last time was on Volendam in Sept/03 . Yup - lots of clear days in your time frame - can range from high 30's to high 60's - crazy hmm with the norm around 50's-60's. U can get wind & rain but usually not much (Ketchikan can be a bit 'iffy' that way as it probably has rained at least 1/2 the times I have visited there during May or Sept but not much in mid June, July or August and Skagway is usually always windy anytime). Have seen very warm weather there and people in shorts though the wind always seems to blow. Hope u have a super trip - Plse post your experiences when u return as I wld luv to read them. Happy cruisin'!

Thanks so much for your help! Most people I've seen talking about the weather, were talking about the summer months, so I was wondering how "cold" it would be at end of May. I'm sooooooooo excited!!! I'll definitely post my review when I get back. Hell, I'm originally from Canada, so how cold can I get anyway??? But now that I've been living in Tennessee for 5 years, I've become a wuss when I go back home at Christmas.

Hi cruisecrazy. I have just started exploring a potential Alaska cruise in early September (last minute idea!) and I am planning to go solo, as I do on many cruises. - My favorite things to do in the evenings: (1) be in the outdoor jacuzzi and (2) sit on my verandah and stare at the sea / sights for hours. Kind of crazy, but I love it. Is the end of the Alaska season (early September) still a good time to go to enjoy these things (as well as the excursions)? Any great excursions you can recommend would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks for your advice.

Hi Babybear,
We too did our Alaska cruise the end of August/beginning of Sept. and I was suprised at how nice the weather really was. I guess the previous few weeks were not nearly as nice, at least the crew onboard mentioned that. We had a beautiful day at the glacier, we were able to get very close, see and hear lots going on, it was totally amazing, almost my favorite part of the entire cruise. We only had one afternoon of rain in Juneau and that started on the return trip from Whale watching, so we still had good weather for that too. I basically just wore t-shirts with a jacket when needed, but no heavy winter coat, even by the glacier, it wasn't that bad and we also had use of our balcony while we were there. I did pack hats/gloves, but we hardly needed them, I'd still pack things like that, you just never know what you'll get. I also packed and wore shorts, we had 2 afternoons in the 70's, so it was great, people using the hot tubs, pools till too cool for swimming.

Hi VJ,
No, the cruiselines have no limit on the number of pieces of luggage, but the airlines do. If you are flying into Seattle, be sure to check with your airline and know their limits, also weight limits. WE just packed a few sweat and t-shirts and jackets, left our warmer jackets at home and just layered the clothing, much easier on the packing that way and it was not cold unless you were at a glacier, I even wore shorts a few afternoons.